Battling Bunkmates
by Proforce
Summary: Story #3 in an ongoing series. Foxglove is finally moving in with the Rescue Rangers, but not everything will run smoothly. Will the Rangers get their act together? Or will this be the straw that finally breaks them? R&R please.


"Battling Bunkmates"  
Authors: Robert Brown and Francis Tolbert  
  
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Disney   
(except where noted, in which case they were created and   
copyrighted by us or by another and we have permission to use   
them). The authors hereby give permission for this story to be   
downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no   
changes to the story are made without our express written(not   
e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from   
this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be   
considered a violation of copyright law.  
  
Author's Note: You know, I just realized there are going to be some people   
who read these who have never read our Sonic stuff before. OK, here's the  
deal: My e-mail is ProforcePF@aol.com, Francis has his at   
AstralFrankie@aol.com Be warned though, Francis, in his own words, is not  
much of a writer, so it may take time to get him to answer any e-mails. The  
more e-mails/reviews we get on these, the quicker we write them. Anything  
you want to know, just ask. It may take us a while, but we will answer. This  
story, and others like it, are available at one of three sites:  
  
www.fanfiction.net (fanfiction.net)  
http://a-strange-website.com/RRData/RRindex.htm (Rescue Rangers database)  
www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Satellite/6616/index.html (my homepage)  
  
Take care, and till next time, Happy Reading! Oh before I forget, "***"   
shows a character I created, "###" is a character Francis created.   
  
Cast of Characters(in order of appearance)  
Dale  
Chip  
Gadget  
Foxglove  
Monterey Jack  
Zipper  
  
#3  
  
Night had fallen over the park the Rescue Rangers called home. It had  
been a scant four days since Chip had nearly died from eating the poisoned   
mushroom, and since two couples had affirmed their love. In those four days,  
a number of changes had occurred inside Ranger Headquarters, one of which was  
just coming to completion at this exact moment.  
  
Dale stumbled slowly along the branch that led to Headquarters, carrying   
a couple very heavy suitcases in his arms. As much as the weight of the   
suitcases gave him problems, the fact that he couldn't see over them gave him  
even more. Somehow, probably through dumb luck as Foxglove puts it, he made   
it inside without a single mishap.  
  
Inside was no different either as he got safely down the domino stairs   
and weaved through the living room. "Hey!" he called out, his voice muffled  
by the suitcases in front of his face. "Where do I put all this stuff?"  
  
"Put it in my room, Dale," Gadget said from somewhere in front of him.  
  
"All right Gadget. Just...how do I get there?"  
  
Dale could hear Gadget giggle a bit and also heard Chip chuckle from   
next to her. Only a few weeks ago, Dale would've been crazy with jealousy   
hearing Chip and Gadget laughing together like that. But then came the day he  
first realized his true love just might be the bat that had flown away with   
his heart.  
  
He remembered the day clearly, something Chip might think next to   
impossible. Foxglove had had a really bad day; it was just one of those days  
she wished she hadn't gotten down from her bed-perch. Dale had met up with   
her for their weekly talk and seen immediately that she was in a bad mood.   
When he had offered to listen, she had just wanted to be held. Being the   
friend he was, he had held her without giving it a second thought, just like  
he would to Chip.  
  
He had been holding her for a few moments when he heard a soft snoring.  
To his surprise, Foxglove had fallen asleep in his arms. Now he knew that he  
wasn't comfortable to sleep against, especially for someone used to sleeping  
upside down. He had sat down and pulled her more comfortably onto his lap so  
he could think about why.  
  
Dale must have sat like that for an hour, just trying to figure it out.  
With an irritated sigh, he had finally given up, no closer to the explanation  
he needed. He had looked down at her sleeping face again and noticed a small  
smile on her lips. He had smiled himself at that point and it had been a   
while before he realized he was smiling. When he had become aware of it, he  
also became aware of a few other things: he wanted her in his arms, and he   
wanted her to stay there.  
  
All of a sudden, Dale's heart had begun to flutter in a way it only had  
when he was around Gadget. But it was different somehow, stronger, more   
intense. He had always known Foxglove loved him from the moment they met, but  
had accepted just friendship because of his feelings for Gadget. At that  
moment, he began to question his feelings for Gadget and opened himself to the  
possibility of a relationship with Foxglove. And during the rest of the time  
Foxglove was asleep, he realized that he was falling in love with her harder,  
faster, and truer than any girl he had ever known.  
  
Of course, he hadn't said anything that day. Despite what most people  
thought, Dale wasn't dumb, just carefree. He knew that the burst of feeling   
he felt could have been nothing more than an extension of his happiness at  
being unconditionally needed. But in the weeks leading up to his confession,  
the feeling had only grown until his former feelings for Gadget paled in   
comparison.  
  
Then, at the science fair, the only thing on his mind had been saving  
Chip's life. That is, until Foxglove was in danger. At that moment, when   
concern for her life became more important than concern for Chip's, he knew.  
When he just acted to save her life, not even thinking about his own, he knew.  
When he--  
  
"Hey Dale!" Chip yelled from right next to him.  
  
Dale was brought jarringly back to the present by that yell. He jumped   
and threw the suitcases he was holding up in the air. They seemed to hover  
for just a moment before coming crashing down on top of his head. "Hey, why'd  
you do that for?" Dale asked, digging himself out and gathering the suitcases  
back up in his arms.  
  
"Sorry Dale," Chip said, chuckling a bit. "You were off in your own   
world just now and nothing else was waking you up. Besides, your girlfriend  
will be here soon and you wanted to have everything set up for her, didn't   
you?"  
  
Dale jumped again and took off at a run for Gadget's room, having been  
able to get his bearings when he dropped the suitcases. Chip shook his head  
and walked back over by Gadget just as Foxglove and Monterey Jack walked in  
with Zipper flying close behind. "I still can't believe all this," Foxglove  
murmured. "It's like a dream."  
  
"Too right," Monterey said, Zipper chittering in agreement. "Granted,   
things weren't always smooth here, but all in all it's been better than any   
port I've ever set down in before."  
  
Foxglove nodded and smiled. "I know this'll be the best place I've ever  
been."  
  
Dale dashed back into the living room and wiped some sweat from his   
forehead. "Everything's setup, Foxy," he said after he caught his breath.  
  
"Thanks Dale," Foxy said, then she blushed as a thought occurred to her.   
"Umm, you didn't unpack the red suitcase, did you?"  
  
"Nope, just left it near your perch just like you said to," Dale said,  
completely oblivious to what might be in there.  
  
Foxglove relaxed visibly. "You know," Monterey said to her, "I've never  
seen Dale work so hard on anything before."  
  
"He just needed the right motivation, Monty," Chip said, looking right   
at Foxglove who blushed yet again. "Well, it's getting late, and we should   
be going to bed. You staying up Foxglove?"  
  
Foxglove thought about that for a minute. "Well, if I'm going to be a   
Rescue Ranger, I'd better follow the same schedule you all do. Shouldn't be   
too hard switching from night to day."  
  
"Right. Well then, let's get some sleep everyone. We need to be up   
bright and early tomorrow to show Foxglove the ropes." Nods and goodnights  
were exchanged between everyone, along with a few goodnight kisses among the  
couples. Each then headed for their room, the last one shutting the lights  
within the main room.  
  
Gadget covered her mouth as she yawned, pulling down the sheets on her  
bed. She had changed into her pink nightgown while Foxglove finished   
unpacking her things, and Foxglove was now changing into her sleepwear. It  
was still a little odd to see the bat wearing clothes, but Gadget would get  
used to it in time, just like she would to having a roommate.  
  
Growing up an only child, and then living by herself before meeting the  
Rangers, and even as a Ranger, Gadget had never had to share her room with   
anyone. Her space had always been hers and hers alone, and now she would be  
sharing it with someone she didn't know all that well. Yes, she liked   
Foxglove and knew she was a good animal, but it would be weird for a while.  
  
"Everything OK, Gadget?" Foxglove asked, coming into the room dressed   
in a pair of pajamas altered for her wings.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, everything's fine Foxglove," Gadget said, getting into the  
bed and laying down. "Just thinking about how weird it'll be sharing a room."  
  
"Yeah, I know the feeling," Foxglove admitted, flying up and setting   
down on a perch Gadget had installed for her to sleep from. "I come from a   
big family, and being in the middle meant I always had to share everything   
with two or three of my siblings. So for me, it won't be so weird sharing the  
room, just sharing it with one animal. At least I don't have to worry about   
being pushed off the perch in the middle of the night."  
  
Gadget giggled along with Foxglove at that thought. "Well, good night.  
Sleep well."  
  
"I'll try," Foxglove said, closing her eyes and letting herself swing   
down until she was hanging by her feet. Despite what she said, she was asleep  
before Gadget even shut off the light.  
  
Gadget smiled a moment and then turned on her side, closing her eyes.  
She was almost asleep when her ears picked up a soft noise. It was regular,  
rhythmic almost, and reminded her of deep breathing or.... "Great," she  
thought, "why didn't she tell me she snores?  
  
"Foxglove," she whispered, sitting up. When that failed to wake her up,   
she hissed a bit louder, "Foxglove!" Foxglove muttered something in her   
sleep, folded her wings more closely about her, and started snoring again,   
just a touch louder than before. Gadget rolled her eyes in frustration.   
"This is going to be a long night," she thought, turning on her stomach and   
putting her pillow over her head, pulling it low over her ears.  
  
The night passed as all do, fast for some and slow for others. Gadget  
was one of the unfortunate to which sleep was fleeting and fitful at best.  
As the morning sun shone through one of her windows right into her face, she  
opened red-rimmed eyes and sat up. "Remind me to get some earplugs," she  
muttered to Foxglove, only to realize she wasn't on her perch. "Foxglove?"  
she called, rubbing her eyes and yawning.  
  
The only answer she received was the sound of something breaking. Out   
of her bed in an instant, Gadget ran toward the sound. At first, she didn't  
see anything out of the ordinary and was about to return to her room. Then  
she heard the sound again. "Sounded like it came from the kitchen," she  
realized, heading toward it.  
  
In the kitchen, Foxglove was on her knees, carefully sweeping up pieces  
of a broken dish. The sound of approaching footsteps caused her to look up,  
right into the worried face of Gadget. "Sorry about the mess," Foxglove said,  
dumping the pieces into the nearby garbage pail. "I was just trying to   
surprise everyone by making breakfast."  
  
Gadget smiled and knelt down next to Foxglove. "It's all right," she  
said, helping to pick up some of the bigger pieces. "Dale did the same thing  
the first time he tried to make breakfast."  
  
"Speaking of which, could you check on it for me?" Foxglove asked,   
waving a wing toward a covered pot simmering on the stove.  
  
"Sure thing," Gadget said, standing up and brushing off her nightgown.  
"How am I supposed to know if it's done or not though?" she asked as she   
walked to the stove and lifted the lid. Before Foxglove could answer, a   
sickly green vapor wafted out from under the lid. Gadget sniffed at it   
cautiously, her scientist's curiosity taking control for a moment.  
  
No sooner did she smell it than she jerked her head away, dropping  
the lid with a loud clang. "What is that horrible smell?" she asked, backing  
away and trying not to let her face turn as green as what she had just   
smelled.  
  
"If it smells that bad, it needs a few more minutes yet," Foxglove said,  
not looking surprised by Gadget's reactions as she continued to set the table,  
more carefully this time.  
  
Gadget slid down into her usual seat. "Dare I ask what's in there?"  
  
Foxglove considered this for a moment. "Well, you could, but it's   
probably better if you didn't," she answered.  
  
Gadget just closed her eyes and let her head fall forward on the table.  
She was still like that when the men came in. "Hey Foxy," Dale said, "what's  
for breakfast?"  
  
"It's almost ready, sweetie," Foxglove said over her shoulder. "Just a  
little longer."  
  
Chip saw Gadget slumped over the table and sat down next to her.   
"Gadget?" he asked quietly, placing his hand on her arm. "Are you all right?"  
  
Gadget lifted her head slightly and smiled tiredly at her boyfriend.   
She was about to let her head fall back down but sat up when she saw Foxglove   
walking over, somehow balancing five bowls and a smaller one in her wings.   
"Breakfast is ready!" she said cheerfully, setting the bowls down in front  
of everyone.  
  
Gadget drew back at first, remembering the last time she smelled it.   
But as the bowl was set in front of her, a whiff of the now pinkish vapor got  
to her nose. "This...smells good," Gadget said, confused. She picked up her  
spoon and tasted a little of it. "Golly, it tastes even better than it   
smells."  
  
"Really, Gadget-luv?" Monterey asked, sampling his own. "Not quite as  
good as my cheese chowder," he said, suffering a mini-Cheese Attack at the   
mention of the word cheese, "but definitely better than some of the stuff   
we've had here in the past."  
  
"Dale doesn't look all that surprised," Chip said, watching as he dug   
into his bowl before following suit.  
  
"Foxglove's cooked for me before," Dale said between mouthfuls. "I know  
she's a great cook."  
  
"Dale, you're embarassing me," Foxglove said, the fur around her cheeks  
turning a darker shade.  
  
"Well, it's true," Dale said as he went for seconds. "I just wish you'd  
tell me what's in these once in a while."  
  
Everyone else paused, spoons in midair, wondering just what they were   
eating, Gadget for the second time. "Nothing like that," Foxglove said   
hastily, with a quick look at Gadget. "It's just old family recipes. I'm not   
allowed to tell anyone except my kids, if I ever have any."  
  
Chip, Monterey, and Zipper accepted the explanation and resumed eating.  
Gadget thought about it for a moment more, remembering what Foxglove had told   
her earlier, but her grumbling stomach commanded more attention than her   
worries and she continued eating.   
  
After breakfast was done, the Rangers all went their own ways for the   
rest of the morning, knowing they had to look for cases later that day. As  
she did most every morning, Gadget headed to her workshop to finish up on her   
current project, the repair on the inventions she had used to pelt Fat Cat and   
his gang to keep them away from Chip. The first thing she had done was repair  
the Ranger Wing and get it working better than ever. It was maddeningly slow   
work, and she usually ended up with a spare part or two, but it was also her   
own private place.  
  
Her ears pricked up slightly as she heard shuffling footsteps near the  
door. "Who's there?" she asked, not turning her attention from the machine  
in front of her.  
  
"It's just me, Gadget," Foxglove said softly. "I really don't have   
anything to do right now, so I was hoping you could let me watch for a while?"  
  
"Why aren't you with Dale?" Gadget asked, reconnecting a couple loose  
wires. "I'm sure he'd be a lot more interesting to be with than I would."  
  
Foxglove blushed slightly but didn't bother covering it up since Gadget  
still wasn't looking. "Well, he's off reading some of his comic books right  
now. I love him dearly, but some of those vampire ones disturb me, for   
obvious reasons."  
  
Gadget had to laugh a bit at that. "All right, you can stay. But you  
have to stay out of my way, and try to be quiet, OK?"  
  
"You got it Gadget," Foxglove said with a relieved sigh. She leaned up  
against the wall where she could get a good look at Gadget working.   
  
All went well for the first ten minutes or so, but then Foxglove began   
to fidget. Whatever Gadget was working on was certainly very interesting, but   
she had absolutely no idea what it did. She wished she could ask, but Gadget  
had made it very clear she was to be as quiet as possible. It occurred to her  
that maybe she could use her sonar on it to get an idea of how it worked.   
Since her sonar was normally in a range other animals couldn't hear, it   
shouldn't bother Gadget at all.  
  
Foxglove used her sonar, a little at first, then with more confidence   
when nothing happened. It worked better than she hoped; she now knew just as  
much about it as Gadget did, and Gadget was the one who built it! But   
something sounded a bit off, an echo coming from a direction it shouldn't be.  
Without realizing it, Foxglove moved away from the wall and toward Gadget,   
trying to get a fix on what was wrong.  
  
Gadget flinched as she felt someone creeping up behind her, but didn't  
say anything until she actually heard breathing next to her. "Foxglove, I  
thought I asked you to stay out of the way?" she asked, setting down her  
tools a little more heavily than needed.   
  
"I'm sorry, Gadget," Foxglove said, backing away a bit. "It just   
sounded weird, that's all."  
  
"Sounded weird? But it's not making any noise."  
  
"I mean to my sonar," Foxglove explained quickly. "Sounds like there's   
something loose on the inside."  
  
"Can't be," Gadget muttered, giving it the once over. "I know I made  
sure everything was screwed in properly."  
  
"Gadget, I'm telling you--"  
  
"Foxglove," Gadget interrupted, a touch testily, "I know what I'm doing,   
all right? See, just watch." Gadget pressed the button to start it up and it  
whirred to life.  
  
It seemed nothing was wrong at first. But when Gadget turned to   
Foxglove to say, "I told you so," a screw flew from her contraption, just   
missing both their heads. It started vibrating, giving the girls just enough  
time to take cover behind a table before it exploded, sending shrapnel   
everywhere. They both stayed down, covering their heads until everything  
became quiet.  
  
They gingerly peeked over the table, only fully exposing their heads   
when they were sure nothing else was going to come flying at them. "I   
told...." Foxglove began until she saw the expression on Gadget's face. It   
was somewhere between disbelief and anger. Without a single word, Gadget   
turned around and stomped from her workshop.  
  
Chip and Dale had come running at the explosion and were now brushed  
aside by Gadget as she stormed toward her room. Chip immediately went to   
follow her while Dale continued on into the workshop. "What happened here?"  
he asked, still seeing Foxglove behind the table.  
  
"One of Gadget's inventions exploded," Foxglove said, looking down at   
her feet. "I tried to warn her that something didn't sound right, but she  
wouldn't listen to me. I don't think she likes me anymore."  
  
"Oh Foxy," Dale said, enveloping the bat in a warm hug, "don't think   
like that. Gadget just gets protective about her inventions. She doesn't  
like to admit she's wrong about anything."  
  
"You sure?" Foxglove asked, still sounding sad but with a note of hope   
in her voice.  
  
"Positive. Besides, she's been so used to no one entering her workshop,  
usually because none of us are brave enough with things exploding all the   
time. She just needs some time to adjust, that's all."  
  
"All right sweetie," Foxglove said, managing to smile and kiss Dale's  
cheek. Dale returned the kiss with a smile of his own and just held his  
girlfriend close.  
  
While Dale and Foxglove were talking, Gadget had just reached her room   
and slammed the door shut behind her. A muffled "Ouch!" on the other side of   
the door stopped her from doing anything else though. She quickly turned   
around and opened it. "Gee Gadget," Chip said, sounding a bit like Dale as he  
rubbed his nose, "what did I ever do to you?"  
  
Gadget felt all her tension ebb out of her as she stood there watching   
her beloved. "I'm sorry Chip," she said with a sigh, moving out of the way so  
he could come in. "I didn't see you there."  
  
"With how you were stomping around, I'm surprised you even heard me,"   
Chip tried to joke, but it fell flat. Shifting into his serious mode, he took  
Gadget's hands in his. "Wanna tell me what happened in there?" he asked.  
  
"Not really," Gadget said, pulling away from him and tossing herself   
down on her bed. "I just want some time alone right now."  
  
Chip sat next to Gadget and placed a gentle hand on her back. "Sorry,  
it doesn't work that way," Chip said softly. "When you love someone like I   
love you, you want to share all their pain and anger."  
  
Gadget immediately rolled to her back, sat up, and told her side of the   
story in her usual rambling way. But whereas these rambles were usually   
nothing but facts and observations, Chip heard a note of accusation in her   
voice more than once. "So because of Foxglove, all my work got ruined," she   
finished in a bit of a huff.  
  
Chip took a deep breath before responding. "Gadget, I want you to think  
about what you just said, really just think about it. Does any of it make   
sense?"  
  
Gadget stared at Chip for a while, not understanding what he was getting   
at. But with Chip's gentle urging, she laid back to think about it, folding   
her arms behind her head. Chip could see she hadn't yet picked up on what he   
had, so he just sat there patiently.   
  
His patience was rewarded when Gadget's expression went from angry to   
shocked and then to concerned. "Golly," she whispered, "did I really say   
that?"  
  
"Yeah, crazy, isn't it?" Chip agreed. "I thought that look-alike of   
yours Lahwhinie was in here instead of you."  
  
Gadget blushed in shame as she sat up. "Chip, I...I don't know what   
came over me."  
  
"It's all right," Chip said, gathering her in his arms and holding her  
close. "We've all been under a lot of stress lately. But unlike the rest of  
us, you've been holding it all inside. Dale and Foxglove go out for flights  
or play video games, I sink into one of my Sureluck Jones novels, and Monty  
goes on a cooking spree. All you've been doing is repairing stuff, not even  
inventing anything new."  
  
"I know Chip, but I have to get this done. Besides, I came so close to   
losing you before I even knew I had you. I keep thinking this is all some   
dream and I'll wake up and be as alone as I was before," she finished in a   
whisper, tears falling down her cheeks.  
  
Chip kissed Gadget's temple gently and held her even closer to him. He  
just let her cry as he whispered, "I'm not going anywhere Gadget. Anywhere at  
all."  
  
"I'm so sorry, Chip. So sorry...."  
  
"I know you are Gadget. But maybe the one you should be apologizing to  
is Foxglove."  
  
Gadget nodded, even though that wasn't what she was apologizing for.   
Then she realized she did have to apologize to Foxglove and wiped her eyes.   
"You're right, Chip. Let's go find her so I can apologize."   
  
Chip smiled and stood up with Gadget, still hugging her as they walked   
to the door. "Just promise me that once you fix everything, you'll take some  
time to get that stress out. I know there's a movie you've been wanting to  
see; how about I take you?"  
  
"I'd like that," Gadget whispered shyly as they reached the door. As   
soon as they opened it, they saw Dale and Foxglove coming toward them from the   
workshop. "Foxglove, I--" Gadget began.  
  
"Gadget, I--" Foxglove said at the same time, earning a nervous laugh  
from everyone. "I'm sorry I crowded you before. I should've asked before I  
did anything like that with my sonar."  
  
"I'm sorry too," Gadget said softly. "I shouldn't have just brushed you  
off like that. I'm just not used to anyone pointing things out that might be   
wrong. Usually it just blows up or falls apart."  
  
"See, what did I tell you?" Dale whispered to Foxglove  
  
"I'm glad that's settled," Chip said with a smile. "Dale and I were   
just about to find Monty and Zipper and head over to the police station to   
look for cases. You two want to come?"  
  
"I would," Foxglove said, "but I don't think I'm ready for that just   
yet. Besides, there's something I kinda wanted to take care of around   
here."  
  
"And I really need to clean up my workshop," Gadget said. "But if you   
find one, come back and get us."  
  
"Like we'd leave you out of it," Chip pointed out while Dale nodded.   
"All right, we shouldn't be there too long. Come on Dale, Rescue Rangers   
Away!"  
  
"You know Gadget," Foxglove said as the boys ran off. "I think Chip  
likes saying that way too much."  
  
Gadget giggled and shook her head. "Well, I'd best get to cleaning up.   
You need anything right now?"  
  
"Actually...." Foxglove began before letting her voice trail off. "No,   
forget it."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Well, I was going to ask if you wanted help cleaning up, but after what  
happened last time...."  
  
Gadget started to tell Foxglove that she had it under control, but then  
thought better of it. "I'd...like the help," she said slowly, forcing a   
smile.  
  
"Really?" Foxglove asked, her face lighting up immediately.  
  
Gadget smiled back, a real smile this time. "Yeah, really. Come on,   
you can sweep up while I pry stuff from the walls." They walked together   
into the workshop and set about cleaning.  
  
Foxglove swept some of the debris on the nutshell serving for a dustpan   
using her wing. Gadget had offered her a broom, but Foxglove quickly   
abandoned it for her quicker and more effective wing-sweep technique. Within  
a few moments, she had a full pan and was looking around for the trashcan.  
Spying it near the door she straightened up and walked over to it.  
  
Then it happened. The broom Foxglove had discarded lay forgotten on the  
floor by her feet, and it was after only a few steps that Foxglove found it   
tangling up her feet. By the time she noticed it, however, she was already  
falling. She grabbed the edge of a nearby table to stop herself, but just   
ended up bringing the table, and everything on it, down on top of her.  
  
Gadget came running as soon as she heard the crash. "Foxglove, are   
you...." she started before she actually saw what had happened. Foxglove lay   
half buried under the latest batch of inventions Gadget had successfully   
restored. Although Foxglove seemed to be unhurt, what inventions Gadget   
could make out in the pile were wrecked. "All that work," she whispered,  
sinking down to her knees, "gone."  
  
Foxglove sat up, slightly woozy from everything falling on her. She  
shook her head to clear it, then realized just what had happened. "Oh no,"   
she thought. She looked over at Gadget, still on her knees with an   
unreadable expression on her face. "Gadget, I--"  
  
"Foxglove," Gadget said, cutting her off in a voice Foxglove had never  
heard her use before, "get out."  
  
"But Gadget, I just--"  
  
"I said get out!" Gadget yelled, all her prior disbelief now anger and  
directed at Foxglove.   
  
"Gadget, if you would just listen a moment," Foxglove said, scrambling   
to her feet and backing up a step.  
  
"I don't want to hear it," Gadget said, getting to her feet and stalking  
toward Foxglove. "I don't ask for much around here, just the privacy of my  
room and my workshop. My room I shared freely, but that wasn't good enough,  
was it? No, you had to invade my workshop too!"  
  
Foxglove kept backing away from the enraged mouse, wondering worriedly  
if Gadget had blown a gasket. She continued to back away, trying to reason   
with Gadget, but the normally calm mouse would have none of it. Before she   
knew what had happened, Foxglove had backed up into a corner and could go no   
farther.   
  
Gadget moved in immediately and grabbed hold of Foxglove's shoulders  
with the intent on pushing her from the workshop. But when you grow up with   
as many siblings as Foxglove did, it becomes instinct rather quickly to  
either squirm out of the grasp or just shove the hands away. Foxglove fell  
into the latter group and pushed Gadget hard enough to get some separation   
between them. Foxglove opened her mouth to try to reason with Gadget again,  
but whatever she was going to say was cut off by a stinging slap across her  
muzzle.  
  
The entire tree seemed to grow deathly quiet to the two females still  
inside. Foxglove had a wing clasped over her cheek, staring at Gadget in  
shock. Gadget herself was staring at her hand, the one that had slapped   
Foxglove, as if it were some alien object completely unknown to her. "What...  
what have I done?" she asked quietly, her hand starting to tremble.   
"Foxglove, I'm so sor--"  
  
Gadget's apology was cut off as Foxglove's wing struck her across her  
cheek. "Gadget," Foxglove said sweetly, her voice belying the anger in her  
eyes, "the time for apologies is over."  
  
As this discussion was coming to a close, four cranky males were   
stumbling inside Ranger Headquarters. "You should've checked the batteries  
before we took off Chipper me lad," Monterey said.   
  
"Well, I figured Gadget would've done that when she fixed it," Chip  
pointed out. "She's been distracted lately, I know. But she'll get it  
together soon."  
  
"I just hope it's before I need to get my head together," Dale muttered.  
  
"Dale, you head was never together to begin with."  
  
"Hey, you take that back!"  
  
But before the inevitable fight could get started, a loud crash made  
them all jump. "Sounded like that came from Gadget's workshop," Chip said,  
running toward it. The others followed him and almost ran into him when he  
stopped short at the door.  
  
"What's going on, Chip?" Monterey asked, moving Chip out of his way.  
What he saw made him more speechless than a room full of Brie '86. Gadget  
and Foxglove were literally at each other's throat, looking for all the world   
like they were trying to do each other serious bodily harm. Monterey was the   
first to snap out of it. "All right, break it up!" he yelled, using his mass  
and strength to shove the girls apart and get in between them.  
  
Chip and Dale joined in, grabbing their girlfriends around their waist  
and helping Monterey keep them apart. "What's going on here?" Dale demanded.  
"Why are you two trying to kill each other?"  
  
Gadget and Foxglove started yelling at the same time, each trying to get  
her side of the story out first. Monterey, Dale, and Zipper tried to figure  
out what they were saying, but Chip wasn't even listening. The expression on  
his face became angrier and angrier as the yelling continued. Finally, he   
could take no more. "Quiet!" he yelled.  
  
Everyone stopped at the unusual outburst from Chip. He released Gadget  
and walked between them, nudging a speechless Monterey out of the way. "Look,  
I don't care who or what started this," Chip said quietly, but in such a way   
that everyone heard him. "All I care about is that this arrangement is   
obviously not working out." He closed his eyes for a moment to collect   
himself before continuing. "You leave me no choice. Either you both come to  
some understanding right now, or you are both no longer Rescue Rangers!" he  
finished with a yell.   
  
"Chip, you can't be serious," Gadget said, her voice showing all the   
shock everyone in that room felt.  
  
"I'm very serious," Chip said, a perfectly calm expression on his face,  
and all the scarier for it. "Dale, Monty, Zipper, let's go." He walked out  
of the workshop, the other guys rushing after him.  
  
"What's the big idea?" Dale asked once the door was shut, grabbing Chip   
by his jacket and bringing him face-to-face.   
  
"Calm down Dale," Chip said with a small smirk. "I know what I'm   
doing."  
  
"Oh, I think I gotcha now," Monterey said, twirling his mustache. "Of  
course, if this backfires...."  
  
"It won't," Chip said confidently, prying Dale's hands off his jacket.  
"Now pipe down so I can hear them."  
  
Inside the room, Gadget and Foxglove were just standing there, heads  
bowed in shame. "You know," Gadget said, causing Foxglove to look up, "Chip  
should really follow his own advice."  
  
"What do you mean?" Foxglove asked.  
  
"Well, you know he's always hitting Dale on his head. And those two  
argue all the time."  
  
"Yeah, but hitting Dale on the head doesn't really hurt," Foxglove  
said with a small smile. "Just one of the things I love about him."  
  
Gadget smiled too, and the tension in the room vanished. "Foxglove,  
I--"  
  
"No Gadget," Foxglove interrupted, "I meant what I said. The time for   
apologies is over. It's not going to be perfect like we wanted it to be,   
but it's probably for the best anyway." She extended her wing to Gadget.  
"Friends?"   
  
Gadget looked at the wing for a moment before moving it aside and   
pulling Foxglove into a hug. "Friends," she said when Foxglove hugged her  
back.  
  
"Just promise me one thing. Whenever there's a problem, you'll come to   
me and talk about it."  
  
"You got it. And the same goes for you." They both stepped back at the   
same time and smiled warmly at each other. Foxglove was about to say   
something when Gadget put a finger over her lips. She crept over to the door   
and yanked it open. Chip, having been leaning against the door to hear them  
better, fell right into Gadget's arms. "Thanks," she said, giving him a   
quick kiss on the lips.  
  
"Everything settled here?" Dale asked, poking his head through the   
doorway.  
  
"Not everything, cute stuff," Foxglove said, "but we're working on it."  
  
"Finally," Monterey said with Zipper nodding agreement. "Maybe things  
can get back to normal around here." Little did he realize that things would  
get back to normal, but it would be a different normal than everyone was used   
to in the past. 


End file.
